Adir L.C. – Buyer’s Instinct (Music Video Premiere)

by Steven Spoerl

When I first saw Adir Cohen, who goes under the moniker Adir L.C., it was immediately evident that he carried an easy magnetism. There was a quiet confidence in his posture and it was clear he was surrounded by friends; people gravitated towards him thanks to his soft affability. With all of that taken into account, it wasn’t too much of a surprise when he started setting up behind the microphone at DBTS. Equally unsurprisingly was that those same qualities translated seamlessly through the songs he performed that night, each a carefully constructed tale that were at least somewhat reflective of his wealth of experience as a frequent international traveler.

The bulk of that set was culled from Oceanside Cities, a beautiful collection of expressive, folk-oriented songs that often feel as vibrant as they do weary. Oceanside Cities also boasts a level of grandeur that’s beginning to feel increasingly uncommon in the DIY-leaning scenes. Songs like “Dinosaurs” (which was rightfully paired with a very strong music video) give the record a cinematic, widescreen feeling, which also heightens the record’s more fleeting moments of greater intimacy. One of the moments that hits hardest comes in the form of the heartbreaking “Buyer’s Instinct”, which now boasts a beautiful music video that’s premiering here.

“Buyer’s Instinct” does have a surprisingly optimistic core but it becomes abundantly clear throughout the course of the song that the optimism’s been brutalized over time. Enhancing that subtle, warring aspect of the song are the visuals provided for “Buyer’s Instinct”, which put Cohen in front of some of the most distinctive street art murals in his home of Tel Aviv. The visuals are a striking complement to the nature of the song, each feeding into each other to create something that feels singular even before the superimposed home movie imagery that characterizes a haunting solo section comes into play. As an examination of human nature and the way it can evolve, erode, and decay while still being preserved throughout time, it’s a startling piece of commentary. As a music video for an emerging artist? It’s just about perfect.

Watch “Buyer’s Instinct” below and pick up a copy of Oceanside Cities here.